Basset Alarmed
Through the halls of Digger's Dell, a bird flew straight and true. On her back was a dark haired fairy of fair complexion and stern countenance. And on the fairy's head was a poor cricket, valiantly struggling to keep hold. The gnomes of Digger's Dell gave each other startled looks as she rocketed past. Bad News had come to Digger's Dell, and by the sounds of it, Trouble was soon to follow. With a yowling and a howling came a massive cat to the tunnel. No gnome stood in its way, each one seemingly melding into the earth at the first opportunity. It fixed its single eye, burning with hate, on the fairy lass. Bad News looked behind her and let a bubble of laughter slip out. “Faster ♫! Faster! We've really riled him up this time!” At hearing her laughter the cat arched its back and spat promises of forthcoming evil at her. Starting between its ragged and torn ears all the way down to the kink in its tail, a nice and fresh white stripe of paint accentuated its arch. Ears laid back, it put on a burst of speed to catch its prey. The bird, ♫ by name, considered a massive angry cat the proper incentive to give it her all. Banking sharply around corners, and not trying to gain too much height in such a closed off environment, ♫ sped towards the Shaft. Tucking wings close to her body and trilling a warning for Bad News to duck, the bird bolted through a small gap in the scaffolding that blocked the entrance to the Shaft. Then she spread out her wings and braked hard, lifting herself far up into the Shaft and the sunlight pouring into it. There was a large crash as Trouble barreled into the scaffolding, an A-frame lodging itself around his head. Bad News called down to him, “Might as well go home! Ya can't reach me now!” The cricket on her head chirped with worry. “Oh ♪, shoosh. We're as safe as houses up here.” The cricket grated its legs. “No, not that house. A safe house. I would hardly call a house that dangerous a house. Any house built without an ability to withstand a few knocked over lanterns is simply an elaborate bonfire that people happen to live in. And furthermore, oops! This Shaft is as safe as an elaborate bonfire apparently! Higher ♫, Trouble's gone all sly on us!” The cat who had slowly been clawing his way up the walls of the Shaft made a desperate leap for the sparrow before it rose too high. Missing it by bare inches it managed to latch onto the opposite side of the shaft and continue its ascent in pursuit of the fairy. ♫ beat her wings furiously until she launched herself out into the open. She sang with joy at being in open sky instead of cramped tunnels. Bad News directed her to a tree branch for a moments respite. Trouble eventually crawled his way out of the Shaft and lay on the ground to catch his breath, never taking his eye off of the trio. Basset was alarmed. He was on his way to Digger's Dell, for the gnomes there had requested assistance in removing a persistent threat to their livelihood, a fiend named Bad News. But as soon as he arrives shouting and crashing begins, which he can only assume means Bad News has visited the Dell once again. He had climbed up a tree to get a better view of things and hadn't needed to wait long before a lovely fairy came flying up out of the Shaft of Digger's Dell followed closely behind by a massive scarred cat. With its one eye and torn ears it looked fierce, a beast used to fighting. The white stripe on its back was odd though. With its size, temperament, and musculature, Basset was not surprised the gnomes had named it Bad News. He was sure he could take it though. For now the cat simply watched the fairy, tail swishing back and forth in agitation. The fairy simply stood on her branch and hurled abuse at it. Basset wasn't sure what the cat had done to rile up the lady so much, but he knew it must have been terrible. He was about ready to leap down and give the cat a thrashing when movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Another black cat, missing its opposite eye, was climbing up his tree. He wouldn't even have noticed it were it not for the still wet orange stripes painted all over it. The new beast didn't seem to have noticed him at all, its attention focused of stealth and watching the fairy's shapely rear. Once most of the way up the tree Basset could see it had a name tag, with the word 'Double' embossed on it in silver. Double made his way up onto a large branch, perfectly suited for a leap onto the branch where the fairy, her sparrow, and her cricket stood. Basset was hardly going to allow them to get et, so he pulled off a nice springy branch and sheared it of leaves for a right proper switch. Then he lowered himself down onto the branch the cat Double was braced on and let loose a roar. Both cats, the fairy, the cricket, and the sparrow all turned towards him in varying degrees of astonishment. He charged forward and smacked the orange striped cat on the rump. It leaped right off the branch with a yowl to make ears bleed and sped off into underbrush. Basset then leaped down the ground, a long way for someone of his size, and went after the white striped cat, yelling all the way. The startled cat was up on its feet, not sure how to react to something smaller than it being the aggressor. One flick of the switch across its nose and it bolted, following its comrade. Basset, grinning, broke the switch across his knee and turned to introduce himself to the fairy. He was a bit puzzled. She was quite fair when he had first seen her, but now she appeared quite red. She glided down on her pretty wings and strode directly towards him. He'd heard of damsels in distress repaying Knights with a kiss, and he very much desired a kiss from her. He was more than a little surprised when she slapped him across the face. “What kind of buffoon goes around smacking poor kitties like that?! I oughta take that switch and tan your hide, but I'd be afraid of giving you brain damage! You should be ashamed!” Basset was more confused than hurt by the slap. “Alrigh', excuse me miss, I thought ya were in a spot of trouble. Ya didn' even see the one behind ya, ready ta pounce and et you all up!” “Oh, no, no, no. Don't make this about me. I was having a spot of fun with the farmer's cats and you had to come and spoil it all with giving them a lashing.” “I ain't gonna apologize for rescuin' a lady from beasts that clearly wanted her dead, alrigh' mate?” Basset wasn't quite so pleased now, and he was starting to get a little red. The fairy on the other hand, seemed to be in a better mood by this point. “Feh! You wish I were your mate. You'd need a Grand Djinn for that I, tell ya. Double and Trouble are lovely cats and you had no right to be so cruel to them.” “A Grand Djinn to teach you some manners more, who's Double and Trouble?” “The cats you dunderhead! Not enough for it to be written on their tags, I've got to say it, then repeat myself for you.” “Alrigh', then who 'ere is Bad News?” The little fairy puffed up her chest, which did wonderful things for her in Basset's mind. “That would be me. Bravest fairy in all the land. I'm famous aren't I? To have been heard of by a stranger to the Dell. The sparrow here is ♫ and the cricket is ♪.” Basset was alarmed. Category:Fiction